RG60 Review

The Raven RG60 is a solid-state, hard rock combo amp with great looks and a killer price. An easy-to-use 1x12 amplifier with aggressive distortion, this Raven has more power and a bigger speaker than many amps that cost a lot more. The Raven RG60 is designed to work well with your effects pedals and it switches easily from rhythm to lead with an optional 2-button footswitch.

RG60
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on february 16, 2008 5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 179

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: The RG60 is an incredible amp for the money. Raven is a relatively new company, so not many people know of it, but I can attest that the company had to be innovative to compete as a new contender. I am a relatively new player of a few months and it took me that whole period to pick an amp. I have had this one for a few weeks now. It comes fitted with two channels: lead and rhythm. The lead channel has gain, bass, mid, treble, and volume knobs, while the rhythm channel has all of those minus the gain control. All the way on the right is a nice reverb control as well. On the back, there are I/O jacks for effects loop, external speaker, and footswitch. On top of that, there is a digital tuner on the front. It's not loaded with crazy features or amp models, but then again, it isn't really necessary with the equalizer controls. I use this amp in my room for practicing, but I also take it to church halls or presentation rooms. Believe me, I have enough power on this thing to drown out the rest of the bands. // 8

Sound: I am playing an Ibanez RG2EX1 with dual humbuckers designed by EMG. The sound is the real selling point of this amp because of its relatively low price. It sounds much more distinct and clear than any other amp in it's price range and competes with tube amps that are "supposed" to sound warmer. The rhythm (clean) channel is very good. It can sound like you're playing an acoustic if you want or it can go all the way to a very powerful, warm solo tone with the right settings. For the lead channel, the gain knob gives more range than the other amps in the <400 usd range, which was a huge plus for me. Cranked up all the way, it produces a distortion very similar to the metalzone pedals out there. Last, but not least, the 12 inch speaker included is very strong. The quality of the speaker included is where a lot of Raven's ingenuity and competition lies. It is much louder and clearer than the other amps between 50 and 80 watts, which is why Raven can sell this amp for so much cheaper than others. They have figured out a way to make the amplification process cheaper without sacrificing quality. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This amp is built like a tank. The speaker enclosure is protected on the front lines by a metal grating, behind which lies a Diamond-style plating that holds the speaker in place. Metal corner-guards and solid side materials make this amp a good speaker/chair combination. I could stand on it and play if I wanted (I weigh 150 lbs). // 10

Overall Impression: I am not saying this is the best amp ever created. It's not. However, considering that not all of us have a neverending supply of cash, this is the best "bang for the buck" amp around. Very loud, very warm/clear, and very affordable. If you don't need a giant stage setup, this is the amp for you. // 9

RG60
Reviewed by:
tyler_faith_08, on october 29, 2008 2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 199.99

Purchased from: Guitar Ccenter

Features: The amp is a 60 watt solid state, with 2 foot switchable channels and Raven's own 12" speaker. To cut straight to the point, there is nothing out of the ordinary with this amp, but it sure does make good use of what it has. it's got the basic, left to right, gain-bass mid treble volume, and clean-bass mid treble volume, and reverb. It has a built in tuner on the far left that is pretty accurate compared to a Korg tuner. It has a speaker line out, effects out and in, and foot Switch jacks on back. I gave it a 9 because of the lack of a contour control. Other than that, I have everything I want in an amp.
I generally use the amp when playing with small bands in front of no more than a hundred people, and never have to crank it up past about the 10 o'clock position. frankly, I am unable to turn it up far past that for where I'm playing. // 9

Sound: When I play, I use one of 2 guitars, depending on what I'm playing. I have a Jackson DKMG with a single Seymour Duncan 59 model pickup, 500k pot, and a little extra weight added to the body, and a Schecter Gryphon with a Duncan distortion pickup in the bridge. The clean channel has a little too much of a bass for some peoples taste, but I'm the one writing the review. The biggest thing with this amp is that, unlike most other amps, all the knobs have a prominent effect.
Like thousands of others, I Have been chasing the early Van Halen tone for some time now. I never played my Jackson because I thought the tone was too thin, and just stuck to the Schecter. I was playing through several different amps at guitar center and when I plugged into the Raven, my friend on the isle across from me came around to see what it was. It was closer to the early Van Halen tone than anything I had ever heard in person. I bought it and played the Jackson, and the tone was considerably thicker, and had way more overall tone than a Marshall mini stack, Crate, old Peavey, or an older Fender. I modified the Jackson to it's present state, and nailed the tone I was looking for. Where there is normally a compromise between bass and treble, or tone and volume, there is no compromise. The punch and intensity of the PAF style pickup and the Raven have a tone like no other. The tone is unimaginable, for lack of a better definition. // 10

Reliability & Durability: As far as whether I would use the amp at a gig, no questions asked, yes. The amp has never failed me. I had the amp on back of my truck (that does not have a tailgate) on my way home, so I just took it easy. I was about a mile from home when I got behind a slow driver and it started raining. I was focused on the driver and never thought about the amp. I finally got aggravated and stomped it to pass the driver on an incline. As I turned into my driveway, I thought about the amp being in the rain and drove faster to get to the carport. I got under the carport and got out and turned to grab the amp. It was gone. I immediately got back in the truck and flew back the way I came. I saw the amp on the side of the road in the grass and just knew it'd never work again. I got it in the truck with all my other stuff and made my way to my house. I dried it off and placed it in front of a box fan until the next day. I still use the amp to this day. // 10

Overall Impression: For the style of music that I play, rock, metal, hair metal, this is a perfect match. I have recommended the amp to a few people, and never use any of my other amps. I have been playing for about 5 years, about 6 hours or more a day or when I'm not in class. As far as my overall impression of the amp, I am more than satisfied. If this amp was stolen, I would buy this amp, or a larger model as long as it had the same sound as this one. Like I tell everyone else, buy it. // 10

RG60
Reviewed by:
jeffo46, on january 05, 2009 1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Features: From what I've heard, these came out in 2007 and are owned by Guitar Center. They are manufactured by Crate from what I was told at GC when I went to try this one out a couple of weeks ago. I am in the market right now for a new amp and am trying to keep my options open. I saw a video on You Tube of a guy playing a Les Paul through one of these and the tone that he was getting just sounded insane, so I had to go and try one out. This is a 2 channel, 60 watt combo with a Steel Blackface Grill over the Speaker. It does seem to be well made from what I gathered, but I do wish that it came with a footswitch // 7

Sound: I am by nature, a Fender man through and through, so I had no choice but to try this out with a Stratocaster.First, I went through the clean channel, and when I did, I noticed that there was quite a kick to it. The tone on this channel was very reminiscient of my old Princeton 65 and for that, I was quite pleased, especially with the reverb which seems to be quite powerful. Now the distortion is another story and this is the worst part of this amp. If you're using Humbuckers, I suppose that you'll get a halfway sounding tone out of it, but if you're using single coils, forget it. I had to turn the gain all the way up just to get some punch on this channel and even then, it sounded like shit. You'd be well advised to use a distortion pedal with this amp if you're going to play metal. This is definatly not a Metal amp, that's for sure. It took me forever just to get a halfway decent sounding tone on the distortion channel. // 6

Reliability & Durability: I'm sure that I could gig with this without a backup. It seems to be very well put together. The thing weighs a f--king ton for a 60 watt combo and it's loud as hell for a amp of this wattage.I've been using solid state amps for the last 20 years and have never needed a backup.I find as a whole that solid state amps are just much more reliable that tubes and are much less of a headache as far as the maintenance is concerned. // 8

Overall Impression: I play classic rock and 80's hair metal and have been playing for over 36 years. I personally feel that this amp would be good for either a beginner or as use for a practice amp only. There's no way in hell I would use this amp for a gig. I think it's one of the worst amps that I've ever heard in my life. If you go to Guitar Center's website, their reviews praise this amp, which leads me to believe that their reviews are pretty much fabricated in order to lure buyers into buying this piece of crap.Now I was told that these were made by Crate, which I find very hard to believe, because I won a Crate GX-65 and that would definately blow this piece of shit away. I would not waste my money on this product and nor should you. // 6

RG60
Reviewed by:
Freunleven, on february 22, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 200

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: As much as I might love the idea of being able to emulate any sound I want by means of digital simulation, there's still something special about being able to just plug my guitar into an amp, set the EQ, and go. And that, friends, is exactly what the RG60 lets me do. It has footswitchable clean/distorted channels, reverb, and that's about it. Each channel has a 3-band EQ, with volume; the Lead (distorted) channel has Gain, to boot. There's nothing fancy, nothing confusing about this amp. It's beautiful just the way it is. The effects loop is a nice touch, too. // 10

Sound: After getting the amp home, I plugged my SG straight into it and started into a medley of Black Sabbath riffs. While the distortion was there, it wasn't quite enough, so I plugged my Danelectro Fab-1 Distortion in between the guitar and amp. The combination of the two is a sort of evil beauty I didn't think would be possible with such affordable equipment. The clean channel is beautiful and bright and warm all on it's own, it is a perfect sound. // 9

Reliability & Durability: It's heavy, I'll grant you, at 50 pounds (22.68 kg), but that's fine. There's a sturdy metal grate protecting the speaker, I let my bass player give it a test kick just for good measure. The amp budget a bit, but nothing was damanged. It's only been a week, but I feel confident that the RG60 could handle just about anything short of being shot or on fire. // 10

Overall Impression: I've got to admit, having used a variety of amps over the years (Crate, Marshall, Line 6, and even a Zoom Fire 30) that this is by far my favorite. It has enough power to handle most situations, and has an ease of use that makes it literally a plug-and-play device. For the money, there is no way to go wrong with the Raven RG60. // 10

RG60
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on september 16, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 180

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: This company is new, I think formed in 2007, same with the amp. This amp is a solid-state amp, but a good one. 1x12 combo amp, 60 watts into 8 ohms. It's versatile and works well with both cleans and metal. I play metal, all kinds, and it works. I use a Jackson KVX10 X King V and a Boss ML-2 MetalCore Distortion pedal on the clean channel and I get good distortion. The has a rhythm channel (clean) and a lead channel (Drive). I actually don't like the lead channel because it gives me a fuzzy rock tone, and I play metal. Otherwise it's pretty good. You can get like an Iron Maiden tone with about maximum gain. The lead channel has these knobs: gain, bass, mids, treble, and volume. The rhythm channel has these knobs: bass, mids, treble, and volume. Then there is one reverb knob for both channels. There are no effects built in so that's why this amp is pretty cheap for the price. But it does come with a chromatic tuner, pretty nice one. Let me tell you this: this amp is loud as hell! I am not lying but I have never gone at 3 o clock volume and it can easily beat a drum set, keyboardist, singer, and two other guitarists. It can easily work for gigs. The input jack is on the front of the amp, and on the back of the amp there is a footswitch jack (footswitch not included), effects loop (one jack for IN, and one jack for OUT), and an external speaker jack. This amp is about 50-60 pounds but not a problem. // 9

Sound: I use a Jackson KVX10 X King V with active EMG 81 and 85 humbuckers (81 in bridge and 85 in neck positions). I play metal, all kinds and want that hard, crunchy tone, and this amp works. It's not the best sound because there are no effects included (other than reverb), and it's solid-state, but it's awesome! I use a Boss ML-2 MetalCore Distortion Pedal on the clean channel, and it gives a decent crunch. It does give feedback though at high volumes, a little under 3 o clock volume, there is buzz and feedback (if you don't play anything with guitar volume all the way up), but it's not a big problem. This amp is loud enough for gigs and tiny concerts. The cleans are crystal clean, but the distortion on the amp's lead channel and buzzy, but not that much. The amp's distortion wouldn't work for metal, but it works good for rock and Iron Maiden stuff. The clean channel is not distorted at high volumes, but as I said you never have to go like even halfway. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This amp is reliable and durable. Had it for a couple of months now and nothing happened to it (well I'm always careful about not damaging my things). I would gig without a backup. The amp has never broken down. It's about 50-60 pounds but that's not a problem because it's a good amp. // 10

Overall Impression: This amp works for me, but I am soon gonna buy a Line 6 Spider III 150 watt combo. I heard that's a good solid-state amp and comes with many effects and presets. That's $500 and has many more features. The Raven RG60 is about $200, so big difference. I would recommend buying this for beginners to intermediate. If it were stolen or lost, I wouldn't buy another one because I'm getting a new amp soon, but if I wasn't buying the Line 6, I might just buy the Raven RG200, because that has a couple of more features. This amp is good. // 8

RG60
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on december 11, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 179.99

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: The amp was made this year. It is a 2-channel amplifier that features a clean and dirty line along with reverb, effect out, effect in, external speaker out and foot control. (Not included with the base product) The product is heavy and well built. // 10

Sound: I use a Les Paul Standard with two Alinco Humbucker pickups. This is the guitar/amp duo that I've owned since I sold my Fender back in 1971. This amplifier is clean and quiet. Plug everything in and hold the guitar right next to the amp and there is no hum or feedback (at low volumes). The volume quickly ramps up and I found no distortion or clipping as the volume increased.
I have not played with the reverb yet, but the dirty channel produces a nice, clean amount of distortion. As others have mentioned, putting your own distortion pedal in the mix just racks up a nice banging sound. The amp spends no time on modeling or effects but that lets me choose what I want to add to my amp. So rather than have stuff that I paid for that goes unused once I stick a pedal in front of it, I have an amp devoted to just amplification. And it does a great job at that. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I've only had this a week but based on the amount of weight and structure this amp should stand up to anything. It is good for a practice amp that can quickly be taken on the road as a stage amp. But then I'm a performer that prefers to not fracture the eardrums of the people that came to listen to my music. // 10

Overall Impression: I play rock, new country, and alt (interesting mix) and this amp can do it all. The only thing missing from this amplifier is that they should provide the footpedal for controlling clean vs. dirty / reverbed or none. I added a modeling and effects set in front of the amplifier. When I Switch between the rock and country model, the difference is noticeable. An indicator of how sensitive the speaker is to cleanly express the different guitar models.
Turn on an effect and the amp is jamming. It is a solid performer with a good 12 inch speaker that just cannot be found in this price range. Even if you are not on a low budget, you will find that the price/performance level of the Raven amplifier is unbeatable. Good job Raven. // 10

RG60
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on february 04, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 199

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: Two channel amplifier that is built like a truck. Frame is solid wood, speaker has a metal grill protection. Very heavy amp due to the solid build. 16" speaker. Effects loop included -- Raven states they are still building the Switch which is why one is not included with it. They recommended a Vox two Switch foot pedal which was carried by Guitar Center. On the dirty channel I can perfectly recreate Cream's Crossroads sound. Throw distortion on the clean channel if you want to get real dirty. I got this amp because it was in the price range of other 30 watt amps and can kick out power for either practice or stage use. I'm mix of rock and new country. // 10

Sound: Using an Epiphone Les Paul Standard with default pickups. I've used the Digatech RG60 through this and will soon be getting a Weeping Demon to power the dirty side. Sound is clean and crisp. Dirty channel is nice enough for my taste.
Gain and reverb is adjustable. Very responsive to the sound envelopes I build with my modeler. // 10

Reliability & Durability: As stated earlier, the amp is built in a heavy wood box with a metal screen protecting the speaker. The salesman said he bought one as soon as they came in. The amp has never broken down and never needed service... but I've only owned it a few months. Did not give it a 10 because I've not kicked it around a lot yet. // 9

Overall Impression: My last amp was about 30 years ago with what was a cheap Fender in my days. (wish I'd kept it... could sell the guitar for thousands today) With my last amp it was cheap and kept me out of the big groups. This is an inexpensive amp that can really kick out the sound when needed. I can take on studio roles or jump into a band while not breaking the bank for a second amp. Power, built like a tank, and equal in price to other amps with half the power, and a 16" speaker instead of a 12" like the others. You cannot go wrong here. // 10

RG60
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on may 18, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 200

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: I think the company formed in 2007 or so and the amp in 08(I think). The RG60 is a solid state amp. It is pretty versatile cause I play THrash metal and a little bit of blues. It has a rhythem channel(clean basically) and a lead channel you can Switch with a foot Switch or the little button thing. It is good with pretty much any effects. I play in my room and in a band and it is cappable of overpowering the drums. // 9

Sound: I have Dean VX with stock pickups and it still sounds awesome and I play thrash metal and it's a good metal amp. I played a little tiny excel practice amp 0 Watt for like 3 yrs and it's silent compared to that thing lol but it has a little static but not to much to get on my nerves or to complain about. It has a nice reverb on it kinda like stadium reverb. The clean channel is really nice but may have a little too much bass or some but I like it. You can turn it up and still sound really clean not distorted. The disortion is as brutal as you make it lol but really it's got nice lead channel. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This amp is heavy duty so yeah I guess I would use it without a backup. It's got a nice metal grill protecting the speaker. It's about 60 pounds maybe. It has not ever broken down on me and if you knew me I'm pretty rough with stuff. But yeah it's a good reliable amp for the price. // 9

Overall Impression: I have been playing for a little over 7 years(I'm 15srious for like 3 or 4)and I wouldn't say you know it's like a Marshall or Crate or anything but for me it's good. I was stuck between this and a Line 6 spider lll but I got this because 1 it's got a better crunch to it and I like t able to adjust my sound not clik a button and get a tone. If it was stolen I would probaly not buy it again but not because I didn't like it but because it's my excuse to try other amps to really see what I like. I like the reverb and the versatility if that's the wrd. Most ppl compare it to a Line 6 cause the price but I recommend it for a practice amp andsmall gigging like bars and stuff. I wish it had a cup holder because I'm lazy and hate stop playing and hate going down stairs to get a drink. // 9

RG60
Reviewed by:
IbanezDudeCK, on july 21, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 200

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: I got mine in Spring 2008 when they were pretty much a Brand New product. It has two channels (one clean, one distortion) each with their own EQ's and volumes, a universal reverb, one input, and a tuner on the front. On the back, it's got an fx loop send and return, footswitch out, and an additional speaker out. It works with a two button footswitch to switch channels and turn reverb on and off. It has one 12" Raven speaker protected by a metal grill and 60 watts to power it. Of course, its a solid state and, sorry, but no headphone jack for quiet practice. // 7

Sound: I have a wide variety of guitar shapes and pickups and they all respond differently. I play mainly metal, but also some Boston and other old rock bands. It has a really good scooped sound, which is really important to me since thats almost all I ever use. It sounds good to me when I play my Relient K and Boston songs with the mids pumped and the distortion turned down, too, but I don't know much about whats good in those types of tonal areas as far as The Music goes. The hum is pretty low and doesn't feed back unless I have one of my other amps going and have my Boss OS-2 hooked up to the Raven. It has quiet a bit of distortion, but my Jackson has really low output pickups and its my death/modern metal guitar so I need the OS-2 when I use that guitar. With my Washburn, Ibanez, and ESP, its got plenty, unless you turn it up too high. It's got a sweet spot where the distortion maxes out and if you adjust either direction from their on the volume, it fades away a bit. Don't use the clean much and when I do I want chorus so I use my DigiTech RP250 which has a bunch of amp models so I don't really know how great the clean is, but it works for me. A lot better modern/metal sound than my friends' Fender Frontmans of equal or higher price. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I've had no problems thus far, but I don't crank it up too high all that often. It's been gigged with once and did just fine. Matched up to my partners Fender Frontman 2x12 just fine. Feels plenty heavy enough to be just about bullet proof. The metal grill definitely makes it look that way. The wood is nice and thick and seems really solid. // 10

Overall Impression: It works pretty well for modern/90s metal but might not be so great for low distortion. This was my second amp in my 3 1/2 years of playing and was way better than my first amp (a Drive CD300) and is still better than the popular Fender Frontman and Marshall MG series. I now have a Randall Colossus head, which is a better heavy metal amp but costs a lot more. I plan on keeping this one, though, because it is a great amp for the price. It can easily handle small gigs/band practice and for somewhat bigger gigs, hook it up to an extra 2x12. It's an amp all it's own, not a modeling amp trying to imitate others like Line 6 does. If you don't need the effects and modeling versatility, Line 's are pointless becuase you can simply buy that amp. With these, you can have your own tone and amp. I probably would buy another if it got stolen because its a great deal. For the price, its one of the best investments around. // 9

RG60
Reviewed by:
jeffo46, on december 15, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Features: Mine was made in 2009 and is a 2 channel, 60 watt, no frills, solid state combo amp. It features Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, on each channel and a gain control on the Lead channel and a separate control for the Reverb along with a built in tuner which has it's own on/off Switch. It also has a 12" speaker with a solid Black metal grille on the front of it, and it weighs in at a very solid 50 lbs. This amp packs quite a punch and is quite capable of handling small club gigs. // 9

Sound: I had wriiten a review over a year ago where I was pretty much slamming these amps. Well, time has gone by and Raven must have improved on these because, the distortion on these now have more than enough gain to play any type of music, from blues to full out Heavy Metal. I play a MIM Fender Strat and I do admit that it did take me quite a while to get the gain adjusted to me personal liking, but once I did, I was just blown away by well the sustain is on this. The clean channel is just great IMO. It reminds me of a old Fender Princeton 65 combo which I used to own over 10 years ago and it just sounds sweet. The louder I go with it, it doesn't break up at all, and to me that's the sign of a good amp. Like I said, Raven must've listened to some of the complaints that they were getting and decided to improve on these. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This box is built like a f--king tank. It weighs in at a well built 50 lbs and has a Black metal grill covering the 12" speaker. I'm pretty positive that I could use this at a gig without any problems what'soever. I also make it a habit to baby all of my gear, so dependability certainly is not a issue here. I can definately see this lasting me a long time and besides, it comes with a 3 year warranty. // 10

Overall Impression: I'd been using a Crate GTD120 which recently had been starting to go out on me, so I decided to Switch to something smaller. I originally had bought a Fender Frontman 65 at Guitar Center but, the clean channel on it was defective and I ended up bringing it back yesterday and took a chance on the Raven. After trying it out in the store, I'm glad that I did. I'm tired of using amps with built in effects and wanted to get back to basics and the Raven fits my needs. This is a Meat and Potatoes amp for someone Who just wants to rock without any effects or bullshit involved. // 9

RG60
Reviewed by:
ccase, on january 05, 2010 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 150

Purchased from: Private Seller - Ebay

Features: AS far as features go this amp has 2 channels, a lead and rhythm channel. The clean channel is great, I have a great time on this channel and pedals run and sound great through this. The lead channel though is a bit testy in my opinion. Trying to use the built in gain just gives away that its a solid state. For some that's a great thing, but I prefer a more tube vibe. It comes with 2 built in effects, gain and reverb. Like I said earlier the gain was a bit testy and was kind of hard to get the sound I wanted out of that. When it comes the reverb I absolutely detest it. It makes the guitar sounds terrible and out of tune. I've never used it and don't ever plan to. When I bought mine, it came with an Eminence Texas Heat speaker, which I think really helps with the overall tone this amp produces. I'm not sure how the stock speaker sounds, but I've heard great things about tone improvement from the Texas Heat, as two of my friends have them in their amps. Overall I'd say its a good practice amp, but nothing I would gig with unless running through the clean channel. // 6

Sound: This thing gets loud in a hurry. I was surprised at how loud this amp really is knowing its only 60 watts. When compared to my friends Peavey Bandit 212 it can keep tabs pretty easy, sounding almost as loud as his amp. I usually play a Epiphone Standard SG with naked hummers and I can't complain. Every once in a while I'll plug in my friends MIM Telecaster with a hot rail in the bridge and it still sounds good. Even with an acoustic electric this rig sings. The built in gain really lives up to its name, but as stated earlier can be a bit touchy in getting the sound you want. Plus it sounds almost digital when cranked up. The RG60 can produce a decent variety of sounds, most of which fit what I want out of it. But once again, the reverb sounds terrible. Other than the effects its a really solid set-up. // 8

Reliability & Durability: The cab for the RG60 is very strong and durable. I've dropped this rig from about 3 feet right on a corner and all it did was tear the cover. Having it in a dorm room it has had drinks spilled on it, been kicked and pushed around, and pushed to its limits. After all of this its still as good as the day I got it. There is no question that I would not be afraid to use this by itself. // 10

Overall Impression: I've used this amp to play black metal, grunge, metal, and even bluegrass. Each time it has performed great and never failed on our small stage or in the open. I would definitely recommend this to somebody in the market for a garage band practice amp. This thing is fun to play around with, though the built in effects are less than desirable. Overall I really enjoy this amp. Even though I would prefer a tube amp, this is a close second. // 8

RG60
Reviewed by:
TBA guitarist, on july 07, 2010 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 199.99

Purchased from: www.guitarcenter.com

Features: The amp also came with a built in tuner (I wasn't very impressed) as it tuned my guitar wrong and a few strings broke as I attempted to get it to the "correct" tuning. I advise you get a real tuner rather than use the amplifier's tuner.
Sadly there is no headphone jack:( but if you look on the back of the amp there is a spot for an extra speaker, effects loop, and a footswitch. These came very helpful. // 7

Sound: The Raven RG60 is a great amp. 60 Watts is good for the price I paid. I don't even have the volume halfway up and I'm getting complaints on it being too loud. There are different styles with a instruction booklet for different sound settings. At a certain setting on clean mode you can give your guitar and Acoustic country tone to it. On the distorted setting you can give it a heavy metal tone, punk rock tone, and more. Adjust the settings with Bass, Mid, Treble, Gain, and Reverb. // 10

Reliability & Durability: The amp was heavy, but what do you expect? A lightweight amp? No. It has hard ruber to protect it and a metal gate across the front to protect it. I can literally stand on it and play(I weigh 116) I have not done anything to it and I don't think I will for a while. I dropped it a few times but it still sounds great. I didn't drop from high heights, just slipping from my fingers inches above the ground. No scratches or tears. The amp is just fine and I've had it for a couple months. // 9

Overall Impression: This is overall a great amp. 8/10. I play metal and hard rock, and some acoustic. It works great for all. I performed at a concert and the amp sounded great. The sound flowed through the room and easily could have gone over the drum and singer. Great amp, but not just an amp for practicing in your room. I'm not easily impressed but this amp did the job easy. Great amp. // 8

RG60
Reviewed by:
Purplepanda/MoM, on september 09, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 150

Purchased from: Guitar center

Features: Well, I bet that you aren't reading this, because there's like 10 billion reviews above this hehehe... But anyway it has to channels, one dubed "Lead" and one "Rhythm". To be honest with you, I'm not sure wtf there where thinking here. Ryhtm=clean? Intresting... I would think that it would just have a toned down gain, but seeing as theres only two channels, I am not going to complain. An easy fix: Use a distortion pedal for rhthym on clean channel, and switch to lead channel to add more gain/change eq with the amp overdrive. its a very versitile amp to fit a versitale player... It doesn't really Shine any where spefically but it does pretty good in all genres. I do wish they would get rid of there piece of shit reverb though. The rg20 has delay and I would rather have that than the lamest reverb I've ever heard. I really enjoy the foot switch feature. Its real fun to mess around with it my house, but it really shines live. It does mudd out unless you playing in a huge quiet room with only you playing and with a ton of reverb (bad expericnce). The tuner is ok... I don't use it because I just tune by ear and make our bass player tune to me. I Play shred, Classic Rock, Power metal, Thrash, Blues, Classical, Folk, Hard Rock, basically just about anything I can get my hands on thats got a great guitar part in. And it delivers. I even play a bass through it at times and its not HORRIBLE like my other amps. Really wish they'd switch out reverb for delay, or chorus. Which I'm sure would be easy because its a Solid state amp. // 7

Sound: My favorite sounds I get out of it: A really Clean distortion gain knob around 2 or 1 running through single coils on my Peavey Tracer Custom.
Clean channel: Even every knob at 12 o clock on my MEXICAN POSOUNDING Stratocaster sounds good. can't argue with that... just turn done the bass if theres to much bass in the clean!
Hard rock: This is where my Strat shines actually. Its hss with a TB-6 in the brigde with gain at about 11 o clock. doesn't matter much where eq is, although it does help.
Metal: For rythm and playing at home I usaully have the Bass at 8, Treble at 7, and mid at 4. Gain all the way up.
Shred/Powermetal: Bass at 7, treble at 6, and mid at 4. Sometimes to be spontaneous I do: Bass at 7, Treble and mid 12 o clock. Gain all the way with FX80-B DOD Compressed sustainer. The one with release from 87
Classic rock: same eq as spontaneous power metal but gain at 3 running throught meh single coils, or my humbucker spilt.
Loud and clear enough to gig with. // 8

Reliability & Durability: NO. I stood on the poor thing at a gig and it held me so I think it will do great... I like the wierd reverb noise it gives off when you drop it LOL. It wants me to type more in this field... Apples taste good with peanaut butter... Lol... What is there to say? Its not going to break unless your insane. If you break this amp, then your a freak of nature. // 10

Overall Impression: I have had for 2 years now. If I condsirdered price a factor, 10's across the board. But I didn't. With a few cheap pedals, overdrive, sustainer, noise gate, your ready to go. If I lost this product.. Hmmmmmm... I would prolly buy the new model thats supposed to come out. Even though this is not tube and everyone says its complete shit, idk its pretty good. Its amazing for money. // 10

RG60
Reviewed by:
tas38, on july 12, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 100

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: Amp is pretty new, apparently 07 or newer. It's not versatile at all. It has a great clean channel and that's what it's for. The second channel(distortion) kind of sucks. There isn't really anything else I need on the amp that I would want. I use this amp for practicing and jamming with a few friends. It has a reverb, but it's pretty weak. If you like a weaker type of reverb, it's good. With it cranked, it sounds like you would expect to be at 10:00. // 6

Sound: I use this with a Fender Hippie Blue Strat. It has a fairly HOT bridge humbucker, and a very smooth neck single coil. I play punk and hardcore type stuff. It isn't good for that on it's own, but it takes distortion pedals through the clean channel very very well. Using a BBE AM-64, I get a great distorted tone. The clean channel is very clear and articulate. Some people would call it sterile, and I wouldn't really disagree with them, but I love the sound of it. The single coil shines through and is somehow smooth and punchy at the same time. Due to the stock speaker, it gets muddy at higher volumes. I run it through a Jensen MOD and it sounds much better this way. Again, do not plan on using the distortion. It lacks warmth, high end definition, or real punch and feel. Some SS amps offer good distortion for heavy metal styles, but this isn't one. It has the coldness a lot of players like for metal, but not nearly enough thick chunky gain. I'm giving it a 7 because the clean channel is great, but the gain channel is unusable and the stock speaker sucks. // 7

Reliability & Durability: It's built like a tank and it's SS. I think you have to try to hurt them. // 10

Overall Impression: Again. I play punk and hardcore. It's good for that because of how well the clean channel takes dirt pedals. I've been playing for about 4 years. I got a Kustom HV30 recently. It's a hybrid and the Raven flat out destroys it. The Kustom sounds thin and brittle by comparison on the clean channel, and the distortion channel is somehow even worse than the Raven. If it was lost, I'd look at something else just because I'm ready to step up to tubes. I'd say if you want a clean platform for your dirt pedals, than this amp fits the bill nicely. I think in the cheap SS amp market, this is your best buy. I've looked at some other SS amps, and they just suck by comparison. There's one thing I don't like feature wise. You can't use the external speaker jack if the internal speaker wires are disconnected. Small complaint but it's kind of annoying. // 7

RG60
Reviewed by:
freshbakedshred, on november 06, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Features: So, a few things here. 1. This is a relatively new company starting as far as we can tell around 07' so you aren't going to see really anyone famous rocking with one of these. If you wanted a pro to search on youtube, this isn't the amp for you. OK, I lied, one thing. More of a disclaimer, anyway!
I play rock and occasionally hardcore music, so this is almost perfect for me to play with, its solid state so no broken vacuum tubes to worry about here and no complicated wiring from having to break it apart from faulty connections. It has two channels, one lead and one clean, the way you switch is via a small button located dead center of the control interface. It features in the back a jack for an effects loop and headphones, I must admit though, you can play quietly enough where you don't really need to use headphones. It has one very large speaker with no bells and whistles in the back, and that allows you to have 1 solid sound without splitting between multiple sub speakers. I wish it had a better chromatic tuner, did I mention that? Yeah. It has a freaking tuner built in, loose your tuner? Not anymore. It is ok, I mean it doesn't register right so you pluck the same string about 50 times before it knows the difference between C# and A. All kidding aside though, 7/10 tuner. // 8

Sound: I play with a Epiphone Studio 2 and a Replica Of Blue (Billie Joe Armstrongs guitar) it has no make on it so for all intents and purposes we'll say its a new strat. Pick ups on the Epiphone are stock and the neck pickup on the strat is a p50 by Duncan. Like I had said before, mainly rock and switching over to hardcore in case someone needs a second guitar for a cover or something. It suits both adequately. This amp can be your new best friend if you have strong ears, I never put it higher than about a 3 on the dial because it's so loud (this is also the only tick on the dial where it starts functioning more than a practice amp)!
Distortion is pretty solid, crunchy and thick, take the mid down to a 2 and bass to a 4 and you have a good punchy sound. Clean is clean, nothing special here, its bright and again take out the mid since it really muddles it up. Oh! Reverb is bad, not like kind of bad, its bad. Take it out completely and buy a pedal. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This is a tank. A tank. It has metal lattice like cage on the front and is made of a thick polymer with metal support inside. I weigh 162 pounds and can jump onto it and off of it with no problem (also is a good seat). Doesn't do well in cold though, a weird high pitched fluctuating sound comes from it for a few seconds to a minute but after that, it's fine.
// 9

Overall Impression: Top down lighting answers.
1. Good match for rock and all sub-genres as well as metal sub-genres
2. Playing for 4 years now, I own a Blues Driver BD-2 for main distortion, nothing against the amps, but I just prefer it.
3. I wish I asked for a good reverb pedal because it is awful stock.
4. If it got stolen I would buy a Marshall, only because I have the money to get it, this is a good amp and I would strongly recommend this to anyone.
5. I love it can hold up well against abuse and sounds great the louder it gets!
6. I compared it to all other similar priced products in GC, I bought it last year so I can't really tell you what they were but I picked it over everything else because for the price it was higher quality than most of the others and was louder overall. (Note* I bought the display, normal price is $199 but they were out of stock at the time.)
7. I wish it had a foot switch or something to change the channel but I suppose a distortion pedal does the job right.

I just bought this same model but mine is a 200W. The only difference from mine is that it's louder and comes with tons of sweet built in effects. They are amazing! great distortion and great clean setting. I would totally recommend one for metal players, they sound great with EMGs and DiMarzios.

driggsi424 wrote:
For a hundred dollars more you could get an awsome 5 watt Blackheart tube amp that is lound enough to suit most peoples needs. And it sounds much, much better. Think about it.

I'm a Blackheart fan and own the "little giant head" as well as the "handsome devil" head. I am backordered on the 100w "hothead". While these are my handsdown favorite amps to date the 3/5 "little giant" he speaks of is just not loud enough compared to the Raven 60watt...for someone interested in metal. Get the Raven-they sound just fine for SS and are frigging LOUD!!...i have several students who are using this amp along with used MIK Ibanez RG-270's/ 220's/250's. They have great tone for beginners-advanced in all genres of music. For Extreme Metal just add a decent metal pedal. Just my two cents after 25 years experience playing.

driggsi424 wrote:
For a hundred dollars more you could get an awsome 5 watt Blackheart tube amp that is lound enough to suit most peoples needs. And it sounds much, much better. Think about it.

I have thought about it and have come to a conclusion. Blackheart-5 watts, not half the volume, inconvenience of being a stack, and what like one knob? better hope you like how it sounds. $300
Raven-60 watts, almost too loud, combo(can carry it with one hand) adjustments on anything, and 2/3 the price.
hmmmm...I see your point.

I've got the RG20 (the Kustom Defender 50 is just too loud for the bedroom). I run a Fender Strat, Fender Tele, Schecter Classic, and Ibanez Artcore through a BOSS ME70 and I've got the perfect practice rig!
Nice smooth clean sound, distortion sucks, but then again I run a multi-effects unit (btw, the RG20 sounds pretty good when I run my Carl Martin Quattro through it)...

This is the best amp for the price. I play in two different bands one being a metal band and the other a christian rock band and i use this amp. I got lucky and got it used for only 95 bucks at guitar center. Aparently the resale value on these is extremely low but I used that to my advantage. I only use the clean channel because i play through a Boss GT 8 pedal board for all my distortion and other effects but I cant even put it past 3 without being to loud at any venue that we play at. This is a great amp for the price especially if you only need an amp to send your effects thru.

well the distortion isnt great. i mean its good 4 a beginner but its really good 4 using pedals. especially extreme metal.i played a schecter 7-string hellraiser on the rg20. and the bass was amazing. but it just needs more gain.

I just got mine yesterday (unfortunately I was working til close when it arrived) but I plugged it in this morning and I love it better than my Vyper 15w. The distortion isn't great, but the suggested blues and hard rock suggestions are good. Just not their metal suggestion, use a pedal for that. I'm keeping this guy for a while.